Well-screen manufacture



vMarch 26, 1929. W,W W.LSON 1,706,430

wELL scR'EEN MANUFACTURE Filed April 28, 1927 Pati-med Maz ze, 1929.

UNITED 'sr-ATES WILLIAM w. wILsoN, oF Los' ANGEI.Es, cALIFonN'IA.

Ai WELL-SCREEN MANUFACTURE.

Application filed. April 26,

This invent'ion relates to Well screens or perforated pipe; and `a general object of the invention is to provide a form of pipe perforation or slotting, and a method and apparatus producing the same, simple and economical.

`lthough .the invention is'not at all limited to being practced in the field rather than in the shop, its'simplicity and expedition lends itself very 'readily-to the. perforation or slotting of pipe in the field and at the place of use. Tt quite often happens4 that well/screen is necessary in an emergency, and its manufacture and shipping, or even its shipping, from a place of storage often i consumes so' much time that valuable well production is lost, or that well operators are greatly perforating or slotting pipe is of such a Character that the apparatus necessary for the purpose can be easily transported from 'place to place and the job of perforating or slotting vcan be as easily and expeditiously` performed in the field as in the shop.

The characteristic'features of my method `may be briefly explained as follows: First- I perforate a pipe with perforatons of the desired size and shape, preferably elo'ngatedv slots made with a milling cutter, saw or a high speed disk. This initial slot forms a guide for thesubsequentoperation of unT ,dercutting, which is preferably done with a Cutting torch. The torCh is so formed, with relation to the width of the initial slot, and is provided with such gauges or guides, that the torch can then be run along in theinitialv slot and willi accurately cut out a part lof the metal to form the desired undercut along 'the sides of the slot, and also, by Cutting, 40 increases the effective length ofl the slot; finally forming a. straining slot of the most desirable Shape for eflicient. straining and long wear,

'The apparatus necessary for Carrymg on I my method comprises a simple slotting apparatus ofthe character' before-indicated, and a Cutting tor'ch apparatus, all of which .is easily transported if desired; The slot-vting apparatus 'may be in the form of a mov- .50 ablesaw or slotting Cuttersaw or disk connected 'by av flexible shaftwith a driving motor and thus capable 'of being moved around to the work, Likewise 'the' Cutting torc'h may be connected by flexible hose or tubing to the gas tanks, and be movable to the work. This arrangement of apparatus inconvenienced. My method of 1927. Serial Nos 186,803.

has obvious advantages for field work, the whole apparatus being capable ofcarriage on an automobile so that the work may be performed wherever the pipe may be without-having to move the heavy pipe around. And even for manufacture of the screen in the shop, said form andv arrangement 'of apparatus has the advantage' that the heavy pipe does not have to be constantly moved to and from the machinery, or 'moved from time to time in the machine as the various. spaced slots are cut. All of 'this will be best understood'from the following deta'rled description of 1a preferred and illustrative form of the invention, for which purpose I refer tothe ac- Companying drawings, in which- Fi-g. 1 is a fragmentary perspective illustra'ting'the form of the initial slot; 75 Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the' form ofthe final slot; Fig. v3 is a fragmentary plan illustrating the use of the Cutting torch;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the same; Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional elevation of parts shown in Figi 4; "and Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective showf i ing the .form` of the Cutting torch.

The preferred form of perforation for lstrainin'g purposes is an elongated-slot; and

'although my invention is not necessarily restrioted' in its broader aspects to a perfo- .ration of that shape, yet that shape is more advantageous and has certain characteristic features over. perforations of othershapes, and I therefore explain specifically the makz ing of an elongated slot.

First/I form a slot such as shown in Fig. 1.- This' slot may be' formed with a thin milling cutter, a saw, or a high speed disk. However it is formed, it is preferably long' and narrow and has two parallel side walls '10! and two Curved end walls 11. The cut being made from the outside of the pipe with 'a Circular Cutter, the opening at the outside is' considerably longer than that at the inside, 'as is clearly illust-rated in Fig. 1.

Having formed'this parallel walled slot, I next employ a torch T which has a nose 15 of suitable 'size and form to enter the slot as. is shown inthe several views. This nose 15' may preferably be wedge-shaped, the angleof the wedge depending upon the desired angle of undercut; f For' instance, sup-a pose thedesired angle of undercut is 10? as a indicated in Fig. 5. The Wedge shaped nose of the torch will then be preferably formed at this angle so that one face of. the w'edge can bear against one wall 10 of the slot, or at least so the end of the nose will bear against the side wall 10. VVith any given width of initial slot this wedge-shaped nose will enter the slot just so far, the opposite facelof the'nose b'earing at the top of the corresponding side wall 10. The entry of the nose into the slot may thus-be limited,

'or may be limited by the bearing of a corner 25 of the torch body 26 011 the outside face of the pipe. The contact of the end of the torch nose with one side of the slot,.togetherf'with the contact of the other side of the nose with theother side of the slot, or with the contact of corner 25 with the surface of the pipe, or w'ith the contact on the surface of the pipe of such a guide member. as shown at 26, will position the torch at the correct anglev so that it'will throw its cutting flame from the end of the nose at the deltermined angle of undercut. Being in this position, the cutting fiagn'e will undercut the inner part of the slot wall, back to the angular surface shown at 27. Then by simply.

moving the torch along the initial slot from end to end, then tilting the torch over to an opposite angular'position and moving it back along the length of the slot, and at the end of its' travel tilting it over to the initial position; the slot will be completely cut out to an Finner Outline such as indicated at 27a) in Figs. 2 and 3.v The endwise travel of the torch is limited by the end of its nose striking the inclined end surfaces y11. When the torch nose strikes one of thesesurfaces then the torch'is moved over to the |opposite inclination, cutting along the end lines 27b and 40 fprming the end surface 27 of the finished s ot.

Thus it willhe seenl that the shape of the i finishedslot is as shown in Fig. 2.: The initial parallel side wall-of the slot w'ill be left.

down to such adepth as indicated at'zlO. Inside of that the side walls will be undercut as shown ati27. The initial end walls will be left down to the depth line indicated at lland inside of that line the end walls 27 will stand in' planes at rightl angles to the axis of the pipe. Thus the finished slot will have an outer portion with parallel side walls, the width of this portion depending vupon the determined widthof the initial slot; and the depth (the, dimension radially of-the pipe) of this portion depending upon the distance the torch nose enters the initial slot. The end walls of the outside part of the finished slot, as'shown at |11, will con- Verge inwardly. The inner part of the slot has side walls that diverge inwardly'and has parallel end walls.

Nothing that passes throughthe restricted outer portion of the slot Can clog its inner portion, the inner part of the slot being free and open as 'compared" with the outer part. However, I make 'the outer restricted part of the slot, with its parallel walls, of some considerable depth, so that the slot w'ill not wear out to an increased width, as it would if the undercut walls extended to the outer surface of the pipe. For instance, if the total thickness of the pipe wall is about three-eighths of an inch, the radial depth of the parallel walled outer slot part may be three thirtyseconds of an inch or more.

The torch T will preferably have its gas orifices arranged in a single line, as shown in Fig. 6. For ``instanee, if three orifices are used, the center one 30 will discharge oxygen and the two outer ones, 31, discharge acetylene. Guide 35 maybe made in the simple form shown in Figs. 3 and 4, clamped laround the body of the torch as shown at 35zl and having two arms 35, either of which Adjustment of the guide on the torch body enables the torch to be held at-just the correct angle.

I claim: L

1. The method of forming a straining slot through a pipe wall or the like, that includes first forming a parallel walled slot through the pipe wall, then undercutting said parallel slot walls with a cutting torch, using the initial slot as a guide for the cutting torch.l

2. The method of forming a straining slot through a pipe wall or the like, that includes first forminga parallel walled slot through the pipe wall, then undercutting said 'parallel slot walls with a cutting torch, using the initial slot asa guide for the cutting torch, the torch being so formed that-it will enter the initial slot at the predetermined angle of undercut. l 3. The method of forming a straining slot through a pipe Wall or the like, that includes first forming a parallel walled slot through the pipe wall, then undercutting theinner vpart of -said parallel walls at a predetermined angle with a cutting torch that enters the initial 'slot a predetermined distance, and-using the initial slot as a guide for the torch. g

4. A-meth0d of forming a straining slot in a pipe wall or the like, that includes first cutting a slot through the pipe, wall with a rotatin cutter, 'said initial slot having parallel side walls and having cur'ved end walls thatl converge inwardly, then undrcutting said parallel side walls, and cutting away said converging end walls, froma prerotating cutter', said initial slothavin'g par- 13a allel side walls an having curved end walls that converge inwardly, then undercutting said parallel side walls, and Cutting away said cenverging end walls, from a, predetermined depth line inwardly to the inner surface of the pipe wall, leavmg the outer parts of the initial side and end walls intact, the

side Walls being undercut at a predeter-' mined angle by using acutting torch whose nose enters the initial slot at said predeter 10 mined angle and enters inwardfty to said predetermined depth line. In witness that 'I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribe my name this 14th day of April, 1927.

WILLIAM W. WILSON. 

